Trolley-wire clamp



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSh eet 1.-

M. M. WOOD. TROLLEY WIRE'GL'AMP.

No. 472,596. Patented Apr. 12, 1892.

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(No man 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WOOD.) TROLLEY WIRE CLAMP. No. 472,596. I Patented Apr. 12,1892.-

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MONTRAVILLE M. WOOD, OF OHICAGO,ILLINOIS.

-TROLLEY-Wl RE CLAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 472,596, tlated April12, 1892.

Application filed May 14, 1891. Serial No. 392,683- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MONTRAVILLE M. W001), a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trolley-WireClamp Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspecification.

My invention relates to devices for supporting trolley-wires used inconnection with elec trical railways, and has for its object to provideconvenient means for thus holding and grasping the conductor or trolleywires. It is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1is a side View of the device in position. Fig. 2 is a detailpart-sectional View. Fig. 3 is a detail showing the jaws of the clampextended. Fig. 4 is a side view of the device where the two parts areconnected by a rivet or pin associated together in the manner of shears.Fig. 5 is an end View of the same.

Like parts are indicated by the same letters v in all figures.

A is the trolley or conductor wire, which is to be grasped and supportedby the clamp.

' B is the clamp connection or support, which is to be of insulatingmaterial or connected with an insulator, from which the supportingwireor other supporting device leads. In this manner an insulated support isprovided for the wire A. The clamp proper is composed of the two parts 0and D, provided, respectively, with the screw-threaded upper portion 0D, the clamping-jaws 0 D and the engaging hinge portions 0 D WVhen thetwo jaws are together and the wire is being clamped, the screw-threadedportions O D engage and register, so as to form together a singlescrew-threaded end, which is adapted to be received into any suitableconnecting or supporting part for the clamp. The jaws D O are grooved inopposition to each other, so as to hold between them the conductor to besupported. The portion 0 of the clamp is composed of the shank properwith the jaw C and the hinged part D which consists of two connectingparts from the shankto the jaw, with an aperture between them,substantially as shown. 7 The part D consists of the jaw and shank and asingle connected part,

which passes through the aperture between the portions 0 D The part 0 isnotched, as shown in Fig. 2, to receive the hinged portion of the part Dso that the two parts of the clamp are thus hinged together, so as tomove one upon the other to permit the jaws to be distended.

The construction here shown is believed by me to be the best, or atleast in substantially the best, form for such clamp; but I recognizethe fact that the device might be considerably altered without departingfrom the spirit of myinvention. A pivotal pin could of course be used toconnect the two portions of the clamp together, and in some instances itmight be thought desirable, or for some purposes it might be thoughtbetter to have the two clamping portions lie on opposite sides from eachother instead of passing through an aperture to each other. Thismodification is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, where the pin connecting the twoparts is indicated by the letter S. The other parts are lettered as inthe other figures.

The use and operation of my invention are so obvious as to requirelittle explanation. The wire at the point where it is to be supported isclamped between the two jaws, where it is brought firmly into position,as indicated in Fig. 3, and the upper portion screw-threaded into theconnecting part which is to be supported, so as to hold or secure thetrolley-wire. This connection might be made, of course, in Various ways,and various connecting devices other than the screw-thread may beemployed. When the slack is being taken up in the wire, it is onlynecessary to loosen the clamp and slide the wire through it. The upperscrewthreaded portions O D are tapered, so as to make a tapering end,and thus by screwing the connection-piece a few turns backward upon theclamp its jaws will be freed sutticiently to permit the wire to be movedor to be passed along through the jaws without otherwise disturbing theparts or materially releasing the clamp from its connection. This is animportant feature of my device.

I claim 1. In a trolley-wire clamp, the combination of two independentclamping portions pivotally supported one upon the other and provided atone extremity with coacting clamping-jaws and at the other with meansfor securing the clamp to its support and adjusting the jaws withreference to each other.

2. In a trolley-wire clam p, the combination of two independent clampingportions pivotaily supported one upon the other and provided at oneextremity with ooacting clamping-jaws and provided atthe other withmeans for securing, the ciainp to its support, said means consisting ofa tapering connection on the clamp, with a receiving part on theclampsupport whereby the jaws may be permitted to open to a greater orless degree. according to the depth to which the clamp is received intoits support.

3. In a support for trolley-wires, the combi-

